Faul , recognized earlier this week as a “Hometown Hall of Famer” by Allstate Insurance in a special ceremony held in his hometown of New Orleans, talked about both the honor and the current state of NFL running backs, including the man who succeeded him in St. Louis—Steven Jackson.

SN: What does it mean to you that since you retired, New Orleans—with the Saints’ Super Bowl title—has become one of the premier NFL cities?

Faulk: It’s really good for me to see the Saints do well. For me, there’s a direct connect with some of the coaches that are there. I got to see Drew (Brees) play when he was at Purdue, when I was playing for the Colts. I had my time in San Diego, (and) Drew played for the Chargers. Sean Payton coached me. Joe Vitt was on our staff with the Rams. Curtis Johnson, the receivers coach who’s now at Tulane, recruited me to San Diego State. …

I have an in with that organization. I have known Mr. Benson (Saints owner Tom) since I was a kid, and know how he supports the inner-city sports around New Orleans.

SN: Do you think, with guys like Willis McGahee still running so well, that’s it’s no longer true that 30 is the surefire “hit the wall” age for backs today?

Faulk: I don’t subscribe to that. I believe that when you’re over 30, regardless if you’re playing football or living life, you’re not the same person. I would have liked to feel the way I felt when I was 20 for the rest of my life, too. When people say that, they point at sports, but show me someone at 30 who was as sharp as they were in their 20s, and I’ll show you a person who hasn’t lived life.

SN: Do you think the Houston Texans are giving too much of a workload (record pace) to Arian Foster and need to ease up to keep him fresher for the playoffs?

Faulk: Everybody’s different. You got to worry about getting to the playoffs before you worry about being fresh for the playoffs. Last time I checked, he was more than capable of handling the load.

SN: What do see as the future of the Rams’ backfield with Steven Jackson set to become a free agent and rookie Daryl Richardson playing well?

Faulk: Daryl has fresh legs and is getting it done. I don’t know if he can shoulder the load when a team needs a back to get those tough, hard yards. I don’t know if he understands what that’s like in the NFL yet. So he is talented? Yes. But as far as getting to the level that Steven Jackson is as far as maturity, understanding how to take care of the football, and putting guys on his shoulder and giving them the willingness to win, I’m not sure if he’s there yet.

Faulk: I talk to Ronnie every once in a while. He was kind of disappointed he got off to a slow start, but he’s happy to be playing. The surprise (for him) is how much faster things are in the NFL, and the adjustments you need to make to get on the football field. It’s more about protecting the quarterback and protecting the football at first, and not how talented you are.

Also this week, as usual, Vinnie and co-host Bill Bender break down all the Week 7 games, picking the winners and dishing fantasy football advice along the way.